Hema Malini was elected to Lok Sabha from Mathura in 2014 (File)
Hema Malini, the BJP candidate in Mathura, was on Thursday asked about her views on the problems people of the holy city face due to monkeys. In response, the sitting parliamentarian lectured on what according to her was its root cause, as she insisted tourists must stop feeding "Frooti (a popular fruit beverage) and samosas" to the primates.
"There is a huge problem of monkeys, but you see there is co-existence. Where will the monkeys go? The problem is that tourist here give them Frooti and samosa and have spoiled them. Give them fruits only," she was quoted by news agency ANI.
She said discussions were had with Union Minister and animal rights activist Maneka Gandhi in this regard. "We will soon resolve the problem," she said at a public gathering.
She also referred to the problem of stray cattle and said cow shelters were being constructed.
"Stray cattle roam every lane and alley but we are building cow shelters and trying to resolve the problem," she added.
Hema Malini was elected to Lok Sabha from Mathura in 2014 as she defeated Jayant Chaudhary of RLD by margin of over three lakh votes.
After getting BJP ticket this time, she has been extensively campaigning in the constituency. Earlier this month, she was trolled by former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah over her picture in which she sitting on a tractor.
"What are those drums on the side? Please don't tell me those are mist generators for cool air? Wow, that's one fancy tractor," he had tweeted.
In photos from her campaign, Hema Malini has been seen cutting crop with women on fields and greeting people through the sunroof of her Mercedes. Rival parties accused her of putting up an act in poll season.
Defending the images, Hema Malini told NDTV, "I am an actress, a celebrity. I don't see this in Mumbai. When I go to the villages, I like that environment and I like it. Even if I acted, it was fun. What is wrong with it? Everybody was happy to see the picture back in Mumbai."
With inputs from ANI